March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. This year’s theme, We’re Here: Then, Now, Always, celebrates that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) have always been a part of our communities, and always will be. Recent studies show that significantly more people with IDD are living, learning, and working in their communities than are living in institutional settings. Research and development in long-term services and supports, home and community-based services (HCBS), supported employment, and other areas have expanded opportunities for people with IDD to fully participate in the communities of their choosing.

Here are just a few of the newest NIDILRR-funded projects working to understand barriers to participation and explore innovative solutions for people with IDD and their families:

• Advancing Supported Decision-Making: Exploring Family and Individual Perspectives to Reduce Reliance on Guardianship explores family decision-making and identifies ways to improve access to information and support for considering supported decision-making. This option has emerged as a promising alternative to guardianship, promoting self-determination, independence, and quality of life for individuals with IDD as they enter adulthood. 
• Development of Skills2Work: An Employment Readiness and Soft Skills Training Program for Transition-Age Youth with Intellectual Disability develops the Skill2Work program that provides classroom-based instruction and work-based learning opportunities for transition-age youth with intellectual disabilities to develop employment readiness and soft skills.
• Exploring Medicaid 1915(c) Home and Community-Based Waiver Programs and Health Service Access for Emerging Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities examines health service access for emerging adults with IDDs, receiving 1915(c) Medicaid HCBS waiver, which enables individuals with IDD to receive services in the community–outside of hospitals and nursing facilities. HCBS waiver programs vary by state which may impact access and health outcomes.
• Identifying Activities Linked to Improve Outcomes for Autistic Youth identifies predictors of successful transition from high school to postsecondary employment, education, and adult life experiences for autistic youth, and explores factors that increase academic retention, achievement, and completion.
• The Innovative Disability Employment Advancement with Leading-edge Technology (IDEAL) Promoting Accommodation Resource and Technology Needs and Rights (PARTNERS) develops IDEAL PARTNERS that combines a virtual toolkit, an innovative artificial intelligence conversational tool, and instructional best practices to increase knowledge about employment accommodations among adults with IDD, caregivers, direct support professionals, and employers.

These are just a few of the grantees conducting research and development to expand opportunities for people with IDD in their communities. You can learn more about NIDILRR-funded research in this and other areas from our website.